About Me

My husband and I moved from urban to rural a few years ago when our children left the nest. I have two children a son of 28 and a daughter of 23 both urbanites who live in London. I am now in the process of waiting for a new cat to find me, after my beautiful cat Pixie, died last year. I now wish we had left town life many years ago because I love living in a village.

Friday, March 30, 2007

When I was over at Violette's Board the other day, I came across a thread entitled 'Take me to your leader', which was about the Phoenix lights and led onto some posts about UFOs. I am not a full anorak UFO geek, but I have to admit to having an interest in them, looking at the night sky I also cast around for various objects, but usually they are just satellites and high flying planes. I have interest in lots of weird and wonderful things like that, I don't think we can dismiss these strange things out of hand, if only one per cent of the sightings are true, we should not ridicule, we have no positive proof that UFOs don't exist, after all, its a huge universe out there.What sparked my interest was an event that happened when I was about eleven years old, when one evening just at sunset my mother and I saw a strange shape high in the sky just hanging there not moving. It was what is now called the traditional cigar shaped object, we watched it for about twenty minutes, saw it then rotate 45 degrees, and 'pouff' it was gone. It was hanging high above the Solway Firth, and I do know that other people saw a strange object that night. I became a UFO enthusiast, reading the good, the bad and the ugly of books about them. Of course, the enthusiasm died down but I still read any article I stumble across about lights in the sky or other mysterious happenings. It really is amazing when seriously talking to people how many eventually confess to 'seeing something strange' in the sky.This in turn, jogged my memory about a rather unusual photograph that was taken in 1964 in our area at Burgh by Sands, which strangely enough is near the Solway Firth. You may have heard of or seen this photograph before [ I reprint it at the top of this posting] as I do know that at the time it was a worldwide story. A man was taking a photograph of his daughter sitting picking flowers on the marshes. It was a coloured photograph, he saw nothing when he took the photograph, but when it was developed in the background behind his daughter stands a man in a sort of white spacesuit. The photograph [in black and white print] made it into the local paper and then probably being picked up by a stringer went national and then global. Until this day no one has been able to find anything wrong with the photograph, it is not a fake, yet there is no explanation for what is there on it.

It is said that after the photograph was published that the man who had taken it, Jim Templeton,had one of those mysterious visits from two 'men in black', who questioned about whether he saw anyone before he took the photograph, they then drove him to Brugh by Sands, and apparently, became annoyed when he couldn't help them as he hadn't seen anything at the time. It is said that they drove off and left him there to walk the five miles home. The following is allegedly a quote from Jim Templeton at the time that is oft quoted in magazines and websites.They were very strange, asking peculiar questions about the weather and behaviour of the animals. Although they claimed to be from the government, they never used names and referred to one another just by numbers. I drove out with them to the marshes but they seemed to get upset when I insisted that I had not seen anybody as I took the photograph. They drove away, stranding me alone to walk five miles home.I never heard from them again.

The photograph has never been disproved and from time to time it is mentioned somewhere and I begin to think about it again. It certainly is a fascinating incident. Well look at the photograph at the beginning of the post [I think it should enlarge if you click] and see what you make of it. Some people have said that it is just the back of a man in the white shirt with a white cap on his head, note the right arm and its odd angle.If you want to know more about the whole story, this website gives the best account and includes more detail about the Australian connection and Blue Streak rocket, that was built in this area. It also tells of an interesting incident very near to this time when there was an aborted launch of Bluestreak.

http://www.ufologie.net/htm/solwayfirth64.htmEngland beware, four of the Glitter Sisters who were at Thirsk, are contemplating a summer reunion [ when it is warm and we will not be freezing out butts off on a station platform], there may be fifth, but just listen people some where near you a town could be about to be chosen. You have been warned, man the barricades, the girls are coming to town.

Speaking of Glitter Sisters, Robyn has asked me to explain her mishap, seeing she had worrying email from one bright spark who thought she had tried to end it all! She received a package from France which had been opened and examined by Customs, unfortunately, or helpfully, however you want to look at it, the customs had overdone the tape a bit, and she was trying to wrestle with the package and a pair of scissors when ooops! [but she probably said something a bit lustier than that] blood was spurting everywhere. Luckily her younger daughter was with her and was able to drive her to hospital, where after a three hour wait holding up her arm she was given two stitches, the wound is small but very deep. On top of this she has now incubated a head cold. Send plenty of love and hugs her way.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

You wake up one morning and open the bedroom window, immediately you know something has changed and you take a deep breath. Yes! At last there it is that certain something in the air, the quality of Spring.

That is what happened on Saturday morning. What exactly is this quality? It's hard to describe, a certain softness and warming of the air currents, even though it is still early morning, a tint of colour in the sky, a sky that no longer looks like a Winter Steel Grey, a slight difference in the shades of green of the plants and tree buds, a sharper more acid green. Birds that try just that little bit more joyously when singing the dawn chorus and in the distance the baaing of ewes waiting to lamb.

The sun rose higher in the bright blue sky, all my Saturday plans went flying away, as I ran around the cottage gathering up plants in pots, that had been patiently waiting such a day to be planted, ever since they arrived from the nursery, and even the moon was right for planting. The bliss, the utter complete bliss, to be in my garden again, nothing matches the first proper gardening stint of each Spring. I spotted a solitary ladybird sitting on one of my perennials and welcomed her back to my garden, encouraging to enjoy munching the aphids later in the year and a single bee was doing a survey on my honeysuckle, before reporting back to the hive.

All my climbers and tubers planted and I celebrated by sitting down at the garden table with a welcome cup of coffee, my eyes darting backwards and forwards looking for what is showing green and working out what plants to add this year, scribbling some notes on a piece of paper before going inside to order them. To sit in the garden smelling the earth and the plants feeling the warmth of a late March sun on my head, how much better could it get?, it just couldn't, it is perfection

I went on my country bus ride into the town today, basically to finish off the shopping I failed to do last time, the school's finish for their spring breaks on Friday, so I want to steer clear of town when the kids are all milling round. The only exception I will make is to the visit the Continental Market that is due to hit town on Easter weekend, to replenish my stocks of Provencial soap. It was one of my lucky days in poundland, lot of wonderful tea light holders, glass hanging lights for the garden in summer, its amazing to be spending just £1 on these when the 'quality' magazines advertise them at ridiculous prices, also beautiful japanese paper lanterns that light up by battery and a small bulb and wonderful multi coloured bamboo spirals to twirl in the wind in the garden. I can just visualise it on a warm summer's evening, when it happens I will take photos. Also managed to get some strips of lovely assorted embellishments for altered art. Wow, Poundland yay!

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One of items I bought in Poundland was a box of yellow Easter Chickens. We don't really bother decorating for Easter over here, apart from kids displaying their chocolate eggs. I've decided to bring back my treasure branch I decorated at Christmas, only this time I will make an Easter Branch out of it, fluffy little yellow chicks can sit in it and maybe some Daisy Lupin Fripperies, I'll have to find out if I can source some tiny feathered birds, if any one knows where, [in England] please let me know. If it works out I'll take photos of it, also, naturally, I will fill the rooms with daffodils.

At the very top left of my sidebar there is now a link to Daisy Lupin Designs, which is to showcase and sell the items I am making, just a few things up at present but more to follow during the coming weeks.

One last item before I go, I have just had an email from ROBYN'S [Wednesday's Child] daughter, to say she has had a mishap, she was opening a parcel with scissors, they slipped and went into her arm. Poor Robyn had to go to hospital and have stitches put in her arm, so will probably not be able to type for a while. I sent an email to as many of her contacts as I could, but if I missed you, I am sorry, but now you have read it here. She will return as soon as her arm permits and I am sure you will keep her in your thoughts and wish her well and a speedy recovery. So GET WELL SOON ROBYN and back to your blog.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The photograph above is the last 6x6 piece that I made for my Daisy Lupin Friendship Project

It has been a busy week so far, the trip to Thirsk on Monday, to meet the Glitter Sisters, then Tuesday, a day to go to my nearest town with a list of 'Things that must be done today - no procastinating Daisy'. In reality this shouldn't take me nearly all day, it should just be get there, do the things that need to be done and back home again, but there always seem to be obstacles in the way. First of all half the roads in town are closed as the utilities are laying new water pipes and there are various diversions in place. Then I go into the General Post Office to see a big sign saying, sorry so many counter positions are not operating due to a staff shortage, so out of a possible ten there are two working and this is the old dears pension day. The queue twists and turns around the floor. I finally get to the counter to find myself having a disagreement about a parcel I am wanting to post abroad, the counter assistant wants to fill in the customs form herself and seems slightly unbelieving at what I say the contents are and their value. Every shop I go into seems to have one till in operation and queues of people wanting to do complicated transactions. I give up, I wanted to go to the bottom half of the town to pick up some batting and soft toy filling and to have a rummage in Poundland for any goodies I can pull apart and alter, I give up, all that can wait until next week.I finally flee town and end up at the supermarket on the outskirts of town, to top up with some urgently needed provisions. I remember to buy some daffodils for the vernal equinox tomorrow, and I am pleased to see they have a really good deal on them, I can fill vases round the cottage at this rate. I make my husband's day as I see they have the wonderful £3 value jeans back in in his size, why pay anymore for messing around the countryside, it doesn't matter how you treat them, they are value though and finally I can't resist this, I treat myself to a beautiful length of garden lights, all tiny green leaves and green jewels, certainly not for the garden, but to decorate my workroom which will be taking on green and lemon colours when I have sorted all the bags and boxes from my Mum's that are in it.

This is a [rather bad, sorry about that] photograph of the Moon Goddess Spirit Doll that I made for Kai for this month's Spirit Doll Swap.Wednesday, the Spring Equinox, yes the sap is rising, I could do with a free day, but suddenly cleaning and sorting are on my mind. I set to with a will that has been lacking for some time and surprise myself with the amount of sorting etc I am getting done. My dining room looks almost like it used to before the influx of boxes etc. The living room in particular looks lovely with the vases of daffodils and the smell of equinox incense burning. The weather might not show it but I feel that Spring is springing.

Above is one of my Daisy Lupin Fripperies, this one a felt egg shape with The Green Lady of Spring awakening on it. THIS CREATION IS PROTECTED BYCOPYRIGHT PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE

So to today, Thursday, My Day, as I said above a day of happy idleness, a day of pottering round the house, browsing books, making lists of where to plant what is needed in the garden this year, lists of things that I have ready to renovate and need a coat of paint. Ticking off of projects completed [always a satisfying job] and putting together the components of my latest designs to be known as Daisy Lupin Fripperies, those who were at Thirsk know one of the designs. These I am putting up for sale as soon as I sort out a side bar link to Daisy Lupin Designs and yes they are covered by copyright. Once I have my design gallery up and running it will be quickly followed by another gallery which will be of interest to some people, but first the trial run will be with Daisy Lupin Designs, to see if there are any glitches.

A photograph of another of my Fripperies, this time a Flower Girl. THIS CREATION IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE.

Now it is early evening Thursday, after enjoying the above I am posting this then going to sit and chill out in the living room to enjoy the daffodils and watch the buds bursting into flower, and you know with daffodils you can see that happening when they are in the warmth of a room.

Whoops, I am so chilled out I nearly forgot to announce the winner of the One World - One HeArt giveaway, silly me. After asking a friend to choose a number, easier than a draw, to give every name a number, the winner is .........................drum roll:-Tinker of Tinker ArtWell done, Tinker, I shall be starting on your spirit doll this weekend and be posting it to you in a couple of weeks. Hope you will like how it turns out, I don't know because they tend to create themselves.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

I thought the above quote of Julius Caeser's was apt for the First International Meeting of the Glitter Sisters. The day started for me at 7.20 in the morning on the road to Newcastle, a city sixty miles away. It was cold but the sky was bright blue and the sun was shining. At Newcastle, I had a little time to spare before boarding a train for Northallerton. By this time I had phoned the redoubtable Mrs Nesbitt to say I was en route, she told me that when I changed trains at Northallerton, Sue [who might be called Poppy, she could be really because she has red hair] would meet me at the station and we would jump onto a train for Thirsk [ a journey time of seven minutes would you believe!]on which Mrs N would already be on board.

I spotted Sue immediately, and came out of the waiting room to say 'You have got to be Sue', luckily it was, and we went back to sit in the waiting room trying to keep warm. There was one gentleman in the waiting room reading his paper, well really rustling it nosily, I think by this time we were talking so much the decibels were rising. By the time we turned to Stone Circles and Goddess Dolls, he walked out of the waiting room, such is the power of the Glitter Sisters to clear a room! The train approached, Sue and I waved like maniacs at the carriages, getting some very strange looks, no one waved back, so we got on one end and worked our way through the carriages looking for Mrs. N. Eventually in the last carriage, I could see a head bobbing up and down, I said to Sue 'That's Mrs N'. We all met and hugged, once again causing consternation. Then suddenly we were at Thirsk station, where Anna was waiting for us, she drove us into Thirsk [ for some mad English reason Thirsk station is not where you think it should be, in the centre of Thirsk, no no its way out in the boonies]. Anna had pinched her husband's swish car for the day so we arrived in style. We parked in the Golden Fleece Car Park and went in.

As though it was ready and waiting for us was a large circular table and room for six people. The Goddess of the Glitter Sisters was really looking after us. Talk about King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, more like Queen Violette and her Glitter Sisters of the Round Table. We had just devested ourselves of our many layers of clothes and sat down, when two faces appeared at the inner window. There's Kai abd her sister I shrieked, all decorum forgotten, a love fest ensued, of hugs, clasps and kisses, by now we had a lovely audience of sedate yorkshire ladies drinking their yorkshire tea in the pub on market day. We all sat down round the round table, and strangely enough all laid our hands flat on it touching the next person's hands. We were lucky the table did not levitate, take off and whirl us round the room, I think we would have been escorted off the premises then. Then we started throwing out a pile of little delish and pretty things we had all brought as little treats for each other. It was like Christmas and Birthday's all in one as we opened, oohed and ahhed and spread tissues paper, stickers and glitter all over the table. Occasionally , one of us would break out with, FIRST INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE GLITTER SISTERS, and the cameras began to flash at each other.

We realised no staff had approached us, I think they were a little uneasy and were treading with care, who were these mad women, where had they come from, was this the future of the world, they were seeing being trialled in Thirsk? Did we have minders, were we really allowed out alone with this standard of behaviour. We started telling people it was an international meeting, the first one to be held, I mean Sue had come as far as about seven miles away! Finally Lorna, Kai's lovely sister, got up and got us some menus. It was decided it was a celebration and Glitter Sisters definitely did not do salad but much more rib sticking Yorkshire food. We all pointed disapprovingly as Mrs N copped out and ordered the smoked salmon salad, which I have to say was served in this most beautiful bowl patterned with fishes, which we did think of putting it in one of our bags as a souvenir! Alas the waiter was EXTREMELY quick to take it away, do you think he overheard our conversation? The wine flowed and we decided that Glitter Sisters always do puds and desserts, especially as they were to die for, delish.

Then the fun started, the conversation grew in volume and was peppered with a few risque words such as d*****, which was because I told a story of a young lad whose mother lives near me and is the manager of an Anne Summers Shop [ the English girls will get this one] he decided to plant a few of these items amongst my plants and the next door neighbours,[ to go off on a tangent what did we do, that fine summer's morning, report him to his mother, no we lined them up on his patio for all to see when his parents awoke]. Then Mrs N enthralled us with her description of her first job at sweet sixteen, legitimate and professional, involving a razor and wearing a uniform, but obviously a shock to her system, she decided to go to be a teacher instead.

Oh we were flying high by now, and strangely enough once again the bar emptied just us Glitter Sisters left, then for me the best bit. Wow!!!!!!! Ican make Peace Cranes now I had one to one tuition with Kai, it is much easier to follow a person making it instead of printed instructions. Menus were being ripped up everywhere. How we were all shiney, red faced and noisy and just so enjoying ourselves. Then like Cinderellas, it was time to leave the ball, the weather had changed, it was sleeting and windy, our powers were all glittered out, we didn't want to return to our rags, but the party was over. Much hugging and more hugging and even more hugging and Kai and Lorna went on their way and Anna took us back to the statiion.

Thirsk station with every modern amenity, no waiting room just miles of open track with the wind howling and the snow blizzarding as we sang silly songs and tried to huddle at the side of a railway man's hut. Brave Anna waited with us for well over an hour and just as she decided to drive us to Northallerton, the train finally arrived, more hugging etc and thankfully we entered a warm train. Sue and I left Mrs N on the train and got off at Northallerton. There I waited a further hour and a half for a train to Newcastle, at least there was a waiting room, but no coffee shop. Kind Sue waited with me and finally we parted, yes more hugs.

I arrived in Newcastle to hear a train was to depart in two minutes for my nearest town. Never in my life have I got over a bridge to three platforms away in a faster time. Just before the train started I boarded and sank into a comfortable seat and warmth. Suffice to say I slept all the way to my station, which luckily is the terminus. Out of the station into the bitter cold, into a warm car and home. A lovely hot cup of coffee, [with a little nip in it if you know what I mean, Irish Whisky] and then a hot bath and straight to bed, I fell asleep immediately. The 19th of March 2007 should go down in history. How amazing that six women who have never met each in the real world, should be so like old friends, one good thing to ssay thanks to the modern world for.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Here we are at St Patrick's day already, unfortunately its not really celebrated in England, unless you live in an Irish community. I always feel I am missing out because my Father's side of the family are Irish and I want to party on this day. Maybe someday I will manage to get over to Ireland to celebrate it in style over there. Until then Good Luck and Good Wishes to you all and don't forget to wish the Little Folk a good day to keep them happy.

In my last post I said I would tell you some more about moonstones and their qualities and how they can help you be 'moontuned'. Moonstones can vary between being translucent and nearly transparent to milky white that can throw out a flash of blue or green. Moonstones can be found in other colours such as grey, yellow or pink, but the most important Moonstones are the beautiful milky ones. You must treat your Moonstones carefully as they are a soft stone and can scratch easily.

There are many legends surrounding the Moonstone, most cultures that have Moonstones have ancient tales woven about it. The Romans believed that the Moonstone was formed by drops of moonlight and hence believed it could help with the properties of the moon, inituition, dreams, emotions and romance. The Greeks believed the Moonstone was ruled by Venus, also known as Aphrodite and Selene, and they called it Aphroselene after the Goddess Selene.. In India Moonstone is a sacred gem and tradition holds that the Moonstone is a symbol of the Third eye. In the Orient they thought it was the solidified rays of the Moon, and that the light that shone within was the light of a good spirit which resided there. Other cultures use it as a healing stone.

In the folklore of the Middle Ages, it was thought that if you held a moonstone in your mouth it would refresh your memory of an event and it was also suggested that it would awaken tender passion if placed beneath the tongues of lovers at Full Moon. Also at that time it was used to glimpse the future, this was apparently done by looking deeply into the Moonstone which would make you fall into a deep sleep where you would see the future. It was also thought to protect against insanity and wanderings of the mind. Moonstones could also be hung from fruit trees to achieve a bumper fruit crop.

It has always been considered a Goddess or feminine stone, and it is believed its power grows as the Moon waxes. The Moonstone is supposed to change its look with the cycle of the Moon. It is also said that to dream of a Moonstone is to be a warning of impending danger. Moonstones, if worn are said to open a person's heart to nuturing qualities as well as to help one accept the experience of love.

Moonstone can help aid in sleeping disorders. Place a moonstone under your pillow at night to help you sleep. The Moonstone has an affinity with water and therefore is said to protect those at sea. It can also be known as the Traveller's Stone, and protects travellers, especially those travelling at night. I always travel either with a Moonstone in my pocket or wearing a piece of jewellery containing one. The Moonstone is an especially good protector and aid on the last part of the waning of the Moon and in the Dark Day before the Moon begins to wax again. You need to charge your Moonstones up to use them like this.

I use Moonstones as an aid to sleep by putting one under my pillow, but beware, they can also bring extremely vivid and lucid dreams. To prepare your Moonstones for use in the Dark day etc as mentioned in the above paragraph. You first of all need to run your moonstones through running water and pat dry. This is to cleanse them. Then at the next Full Moon lie them in a window where the Moon's rays can hit them and charge them. Then you can wear them as the Moon wanes. Beware Moonstones are very powerful and sometimes they can exert too much power if you wear them at Full Moon and it can be hard to cope with, it can make you impatient, short tempered and with an incorrect feeling of being always right and the most powerful one. I am lucky, I was born under a Moon that was waxing and was almost Full, and I can wear my Moonstones at Full Moon and relish the feeling they give me of being able to achieve things, but Ican also keep it in control. I still take them off on a Full Moon evening and let them charge in my bedroom window.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

I have spoken before about how much I love the Moon and relish the Full Moon, and the surge in creativity it sends me. Thinking about the moon, and at the moment we are heading towards the dark day of the Moon, I thought I would do a posting to try to explain how important the moon is in our lives.

The Moon replicates the natural rhythm of the whole universe. The Moon throughout the year, enacts our lifetime every lunar month. She is born, she grows, she is magnificent in her full prime, then she fades and in the darkness dies, to be reborn again. This is the circle of life, and the Moon repeats it month after month.

As opposed to the twelve month solar calendar we get a thirteen month lunar calendar. Our solar calendar is very familiar to us, we know the twelve months, and the seasons that contain them. We follow this solar calendar easily, knowing when to plant our seeds, when to harvest them. It is the world in which we live and we happily take part in its ebb and flow without thinking too much about it. The lunar calendar, on the other hand, is a more subtle calendar, yes we can see the waxing and waning in the sky, but not all of us realise the invisible but powerful energies of the Moon and the effect they have on us. The energies of the Moon reach into our secret cores of feelings, knowing and intuition, in fact the Moon governs all of these emotions. What we need to do is learn these phases of the Moon and use them in the same way we use without thinking the solar days. We must learn to flow with the Moon's phases, as do all animals and nature and not fight against them.

At the Dark Day of the Moon, the Sun and Moon, work together affecting us in a very intense way, I want to say something about this later on. We should try to use this time, carefully and gently, it is a time to meditate on what we have achieved during the previous moon and prepare our activities for the next. A time to connect to our inner selves for guidance and insights and also a time to take note of what we dream. This should be our quiet time, almost a hibernation, don't overstretch yourself on these days.

The first Crescent Moon is the best time to begin new projects and try out new things, also to begin journies and travels. Whatever befalls you during the phases of the Moon, this first crescent it a time when you can start afresh. You need never fear failure, you have the chance thirteen times a year to try again until you are satisfied. As the Moon waxes, work towards what you are wanting to achieve in goals and nurture what we are growing. After the first quarter, try not to start any new projects.

At the Full Moon and Sun and Moon are directly opposite one another, some people can feel unbalanced at this time, as well as in the Dark Day. What some people cannot cope with at this time is the pull of the different directions. The pull between our inner and outer lives. We must try to overcome this and use this time to fulfil our projects, our creative juices run freely and we feel most inspired.

By the last Quarter, our projects should be finished and we should be spending the time finishing, ending and decluttering, ready once again for the Dark Day and the cycle of creation of our projects starting all over again.

I just want to talk about the two crucial times of the lunar month, the Dark Day before the Moon begins to wax and the full moon. On both these occasions the power of the Sun and the Moon are equal, they both have an equal gravitational pull at these times. I once read this simple explanation of these two times which has stayed with me. It is as though the Moon breathes all the time but at Dark Day and Full Moon, she takes in an extra deep breath as though pulling more air into her system. This is like the whole Moon pulling at Earth. There are differences in effect on us from these two times.

The adverse effect of the Full Moon can be more on the physical body, if we can't channel our creativity at this time, we can become hyper, disorientated, feeling slightly off balance, in fact actually feeling the physical sensations of dizziness and sickness. The effect of the Dark Day, is to me more dangerous if you don't recognize it, it is a more subtle and intangible effect that works on our minds and inner souls. If we don't recognise the effect of the Dark Day it can do us harm, it is a time when you can find yourself doubting yourself, feeling yourself lacking, just that feeling that something is not right.

The best way of overcoming these terrible times that some people feel at the Dark Day and the Full Moon, is to try to work with the Moon, try to organise so you go with the flow of the Moon's essence, begin, peak and end with her cycle as described in the phases of the Moon above. Once you work with the Moon, you will love the surge of creativity at full moon, and find you can get so much done. Also never forget the way to being 'Moontuned' as I like to think of it is by wearing Moonstones. This also has to be approached correctly, and I'll tell you about them another time.

Friday, March 09, 2007

As you will see from the above illustration, I am taking part in Lisa OceanDreamer's giveaway draw. If you go to her site http://heartofthenest.blogspot.com/ down the side bar you will see a list of all the participants and you enter all the draws, you never know you might get lucky.The prize I am offering is a Spirit Healing doll, I can't show you the actual doll as they are made for the person and no one else, I try to include attributes of the person I am making for. Therefore, I am just showing two illustrations of the type of doll I am talking about. You can keep them on your desk or hang them by your bed and they will send out serene vibes to you. They tend to be between eight and ten inches tall. I will be having the draw on the 21st March and then I will contact the winner. The doll should be made and ready to post by early April. If you would like to be in the draw just leave a comment on my comments section, anytime between today and 21st March.

Further to my previous postings about the speeding up of time I have been doing some research, and so far the following is what I have come up with. I am just showing what I have found out, it is up to you to believe it or not. All over I have come across references to the acceleration of time, how everyone seems to think it is moving forward with ever greater speed. Well, it is ! Many people from visionaries, soothsayers to scientists have been writing, speaking and working on the strange happening. Many, including some scientists look to the Mayan Calendar for an explanation of this. The Mayan calendar is due to end on either November, 2011 or December, 2012, depending on which way the calculations are made. This is when time is supposed to end, maybe not the end of the world full stop, but definitely the end of the world measured by time as we know it. Afterwards everything will be different. By the Mayan calendar, the years before the end will be noted by time speeding up, and many difficult situations and terrible catastrophes in the world. It is said that the speed of creation itself has speeded up.It can be put like this, if you brought back your great grandmother and sat her in a room with a computer, mobile phone, interactive television etc she would think we were wizards. Even just thinking how technology has grown since we were children, I would never have believed I could type a letter and someone in Australia would have it one minute later. It is the speed of our discovering this technology that is one of the reasons time speeds up, plus the fact we are near the end of a whole calendar cycle. Think how long, how many centuries, men farmed, worked from their own homes, kept to natural hours of daylight and then came the Industrial Revolution and time in a man made way began to rule our day.

From the Mayan Calendar the path leads to the Native American tribe of Hopi. Their elders have nine signs of the end of this circle of the world. Martin Gasheseoma, who as far as I can find out is an elder himself [please tell me if this is incorrect but I have seen him referred to as one] and these he lists as the nine signs, that will bring about the Fifth World.

These prophecies were actually told by White Feather of the Bear Clan and are said to be of ancient origin.This is the First Sign: We were told of the coming of the white-skinned men, like Pahana, but not living like Pahana -- men who took the land that was not theirs and who struck their enemies with thunder. (Guns) This is the Second Sign: Our lands will see the coming of spinning wheels filled with voices. (Covered wagons) This is the Third Sign: A strange beast like a buffalo but with great long horns, will overrun the land in large numbers. (Longhorn cattle) This is the Fourth Sign: The land will be crossed by snakes of iron. (Railroad tracks) This is the Fifth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed by a giant spider's web. (Power and telephone lines) This is the Sixth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed with rivers of stone that make pictures in the sun. (Concrete roads and their mirage-producing effects.)This is the Seventh Sign: You will hear of the sea turning black, and many living things dying because of it. (Oil spills) This is the Eighth Sign: You will see many youth, who wear their hair long like our people, come and join the tribal nations, to learn our ways and wisdom. (Hippies) This is the Ninth and Last Sign: You will hear of a dwelling-place in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a blue star.

Very soon after this, the ceremonies of the Hopi people will cease. Other signs of the world shaking will be:-Trees will dies - acid rain the and the demise of the rain forestMan will build a house in the sky - space stationCold places will become hot - global warmingLands will sink into the ocean, lands will rise from the oceanThere will be an appearance of the Blue Star Kachina

That is where my research has led me for now, I have put this down for you all to read, make of it what you will. If you have any interesting theories or know more about any of the above please let me know, I would be most interested.

The historical photographs above were taken by Edward Curtis, the first is of the Hopi men entering for the Snake Dance and the second is of a Hopi cornfield.

Monday, March 05, 2007

I was interested to note on Robyn's site the photograph of the fairy steps she had taken, and that made me remember that in my county we also have some fairy steps. Photographs of which are at the beginning of this blog and below.

In the bottom western part of Cumbria here is a village called Beetham, and from that village a path through woodland climbs to Beetham fell [mountain] and that leads to the Fairy Steps. The steps are a natural staircase in limestone crags. On two levels. As you can see it is a narrow passage that squeezes between two sheer rock face crags. The legend says that if you manage to ascend or descend these steps without touching either of the limestone crags the fairies will grant you a wish. I fear that unless you are of the stature of a fairy there is no chance of an adult human achieving this task. Those with second sight are believed to be able to witness the fairy folk skipping up the steps.

Beetham Steps are on what are known in the region of Cumbria as a Corpse trail. These are paths that criss cross Cumbria where corpses were carried in their coffins to burial at a local church, usually they are in the remoter parts of the region. You can see the iron rings in the crags where the ropes were put through to lower the coffin down to the next level. A lot of these old corpse roads abound in legends. Another legend about Beetham and the corpse road is of The Cappel a fiery eyed demon dog that can appear.

The fairies of Beetham Steps are in the bottom part of Cumbria, but there is a legend concerning the fairy people, much nearer to me which is called The Luck of Edenhall. Edenhall was the residence of the Musgrave family. It is said that in the garden of this house there was a well full of excellent springwater known as St Cuthbert's Well. There was a sacred chalice that had once belonged to the nearby church, also known as St Cuthbert's which the fairies had long ago purloined. It is said that one evening a servant went to draw water from this well and surprised a group of fairies playing on the green near the well. They had dropped the chalice by the well whilst they amused themselves and the crafty servant snatched it up, they flew at him and tried to recover it but after a struggle gave it up. They flew away chanting 'If that glass either break or fall, Farewell the luck of Edenhall'.

The actual chalice is now in the V & A museum in London. It is made of Syrian glass in the 13th century, and enamelled. It has a leather case to be kept in [ there is a photograph of it above]. It is obviously some artifact brought back from the Crusades. It stayed with Musgrave family for a couple of hundreds of years, one of Musgraves, was said to have a party trick of tossing the chalice in the air and letting a manservant catch it. Another generation of Musgraves used to take turns of drinking out of it, a napkin, held beneath the glass so no harm could come to it. However, I fear that although the chalice remains unbroken, the luck of Edenhall did run out as it burnt down in 1934.

I can now show you, as in the photograph above, the healing spirit doll I made for the Hello Dolly, doll swap for Stacia. I didn't want to show this doll on my site until she had received it. This doll is called 'Lady of the Greenery' and is a healing spirit doll that also wishes to heal planet Earth as well. I am now beginning this month's doll which I am making for Kai, this is a Moon Goddess, as that is the theme this month. I am hoping to be able to personally hand this one over to her. What fun! - I feel nervous and giggly already!

This gorgeous box of goodies from a Secret Fairy landed on my doorstep on Saturday. Thank you so much Kris, it is absolutely gorgeous. All so beautifully wrapped, it contained a sweet handmade cushion decorated with pompoms and with an appliqued cupcake on, a lovely squishy teddy bear, a notebook which is a two year planner, that should keep me on track with my projects, a lovely ATC and handmade card and some yummy chocolates, Ferraro Rocher [my favourites], some samples of other chocolates and a Hershey Bar, of the most gorgeous dark chocolate filled with cranberries and macedonia nuts - delish! And the fulfillment of a dream, when I was a little girl and my cousin used to send me American comics, I always wanted to try a Hershey bar, and decades later I have.

A coda to my musings on time, I have just come across an article that mentions the fact that most people now say that time is accelerating, [which is what I had been thinking] and suggests that this is due to us coming near to the end of the Mayan calendar wheel. I shall be looking into this theory and reporting back to you all.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

I’ll come right out and say it, I am a tree hugger, there is nothing like throwing your arms round a tree or pressing your face gently against the bark and inhaling the wonderful smell of it. In Autumn you can feel the tree quietly preparing for its winter sleep and in Spring you can share the exhilaration of the juicy and zesty sap.

My daughter once told me that my son and her were talking about their names, luckily both are satisfied with them, but my son pointed out to her that they were lucky to have regular names, saying you know what Mum and Dad were like, we could have ended up Treehugger and Starshine. Sometimes to tease, I call this giant over six foot, hulking man Treehugger and visualise him hugging a tree.

My favourite tree of all is the Silver Birch, there is one just outside my back garden on the piece of common land, I love to watch the leaves appear in the spring and the wind rustling through its leaves on a Summer’s day. It bows and sweeps its leaves so majestically like a fine lady dancing a very intricate medieval court dance. In fact, another name in mythology for the Silver Birch is Lady of the Woods, which I think just fits exactly. The Silver Birch protects from evil and a broom made of birch twigs will sweep negative forces from your house. A few birch twigs in a vase at your door will invite healing spirits into your house. It also is a useful tree to take a tiny twig of in your pocket as another aspect is protection whilst on a journey.

The Silver Birch also represents and works with the Moon. Once every so often I am lucky enough to be able to watch the full moon through or over the branches of the Silver birch tree. Adjacent to the silver birch is a rown tree which compliments the silver birch, I feel so lucky to have both so near to me.

The Fungus Fly Agaric [other wise known as the Magic Mushroom] has a symbiotiac relationship with the silver birch as it merges with the roots of the tree and help it to absorb minerals in exchange for sugars from the tree. This is the mushroom beloved of illustrators of fairy stories from which we usually see fairies peering round or sitting on top of. I must admit I have never seen any of these around my Silver Birch, though I have been told it is only about ten years old, I have noticed how much it has grown in the time we have lived in the cottage, they are very fast growing trees.

This young man, my son, is 29 years old today. Wasn't he a sweetie? [Sorry mummyitis!] He looks as good as gold, as though he could never get into mischief, sitting on the chair with the statue he won for playing cricket. How deceptive a photograph can be, he was a cheeky cheerful little boy, that people would forgive anything, his fun and cheekiness were never malicious just natural boyish fun. He is still full of fun and can always make me laugh with his hilarious comments and stories. He will be spending his birthday evening DJing at a local club. Happy Birthday TREEHUGGER! [It could have been your name couldn't it?]

So this is my lazy weekend, I am just taking a break from being lazy by getting this posting done. We intend to settle in tonight to watch a dvd, have a drink or two and maybe even some chocolates. After the house returns to just the two of us tomorrow afternoon, I am going to pack up, ready to post, any projects that need to be sent and sort out some bits and pieces to do with admin for Daisy Lupin Designs, then another slothful evening ready for a good full week of creating.

As some of you probably know from Kai's blog, the first international meeting of the GPS will take place in Yorkshire, whilst Kai is in England. I am travelling over from Cumbria and Mrs Nesbitt is travelling from Whitby and we are meeting in Thirsk. Do you think the world can stand this moment? So if on 19th March you feel a jolt or suddenly for a few seconds that time stops, a sort of hiccup in time, it could be the four [Kai is bringing her sister] of us meeting each other. We will be sending out some pretty poweful vibes, maybe a good time to try and heal the Earth.Will we recogise each other? What will we sound like to each other? Should we sprinkle glitter all over ourselves so we know each other? This is a very exciting occasion, and I hope the first of many for meeting my friends from cyberspace.

The other event I have been involved in since I last posted was an open meeting of my Local History Group for which I had engaged a speaker to give an illustrated slide show on our village and its immediate surroundings. It was a fascinating talk, and I think even people who have lived here all their lives found at least one new fact about our village. I was especially pleased as despite it being a cold night sixty three people turned up for this evening event. I am so glad that people are showing so much interest.